Governor Gavin Newsom Takes on California’s Skyrocketing Gas Prices

Posted on April 24, 2019

April 24, 2019Katherine Mosqueira

California Governor Gavin Newsom wants an explanation for the insanely high gas prices in the state, which are significantly higher than that of the rest of the country. Yesterday, AAA reported that the average gas price in California is $1.18 higher than the national average, rounding out at $4.03.

Newsom has asked the California Energy Commission to provide him with a price report by May 15, 2019. In his letter to Chairman David Hochschild, he stated, “Independent analysis suggests that an unaccounted-for price differential exists in California’s gas prices and that this price differential may stem in part from inappropriate industry practices,”

San Francisco’s average gas price this week came to $4.10/gal. Mark Thompson discussed the issue on his show this morning, agreeing with Newsom, “These corporations don’t police themselves… Government oversight is important. You need some objective party keeping an eye on this,” Thompson also pointed out that the unexplained price difference has cost Californians more than $17 billion since 2015.